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Arooj Aftab

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Arooj Aftab
عروج آفتاب
Aftab performing at (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York, 2014
Aftab performing at (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York, 2014
Background information
Born (1985-03-11) March 11, 1985 (age 39)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
OriginLahore, Pakistan
Genres
Occupations
  • Composer
  • singer
  • producer
  • editor
LabelsNew Amsterdam, Verve Records
Websitearoojaftab.com

Arooj Aftab PP (Urdu: عروج آفتاب; born March 11, 1985) is a Pakistani-American singer, composer, and producer. She has worked in various musical styles and idioms, including jazz and minimalism.

Aftab was nominated for the Best New Artist award and won the Best Global Music Performance award for her song "Mohabbat" at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in April 2022. She became the first-ever Pakistani artist to win a Grammy Award.[1]

On the 75th diamond jubilee anniversary of Pakistan, President Arif Alvi awarded Aftab the Pride of Performance Award, Pakistan's most prestigious award for excellence in the field of art and music.[2]

Early life and education

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Aftab was born to Pakistani parents expatriated in Saudi Arabia. When she was about 10 years old, they returned to their native Lahore, Pakistan.[3] She taught herself the guitar and gradually acquired her singing style while listening to Billie Holiday, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Mariah Carey, and Begum Akhtar. At that time, Aftab lived in a country where access to Western online platforms was difficult, and the infrastructure for independent music was lacking. In this context, however, she promoted her music in Pakistan, being one of the first musicians to use the Internet in the early 2000s; her renditions of "Mera Pyaar" and "Hallelujah" went viral and launched the Pakistani indie scene.[4]

Aftab moved to the United States at the age of 19 in 2005[3] and earned a degree in music production and engineering at Boston's Berklee College of Music.[5] She moved to New York in 2010 and began working as an editor and scoring films.[4] Since her graduation in 2010,[6] Aftab has lived there, being part of the city's jazz and "new music" scene.[3][7]

Career

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In April 2011, Aftab was included in the "100 Composers Under 40" selection launched by NPR and WQXR-FM's Q2 (a contemporary classical music internet radio station).[8]

Aftab's first album, Bird Under Water, was released independently in 2014. It received critical acclaim from David Honigmann of the Financial Times, who gave the album four out of five stars in March 2015.[9][10]

She worked as an editor on the documentary Armed With Faith (2017),[4] winning a 2018 Emmy Award afterward.[11]

Her second album, Siren Islands, was released on June 12, 2018, through New Amsterdam Records. NPR included the album in their "Favorite Electronic and Dance Music of 2018" list.[12] The New York Times listed the song "Island No. 2", which represented the album, in their "25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2018" list.[13] In mid-July 2018, the song "Lullaby", taken from Bird Under Water, was ranked number 150 on the NPR's "200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women" list.[14]

In 2020, Aftab sang, among other vocalists, on Residente's Latin Grammy Award-winning single "Antes Que El Mundo Se Acabe".[15][16] That year, she composed the music for the Student Academy Award-winning film Bittu (narrative category) by Karishma Dube.[4][17]

An anticipated release, Aftab's third studio album, Vulture Prince, was released on April 23, 2021, via New Amsterdam Records.[18] Thematically, the album discusses stories of people, relationships, and lost moments and is dedicated to the memory of her younger brother, Maher.[19] Vulture Prince received praise from publications such as Pitchfork,[20] NPR,[21] and the Al Jazeera English-language news channel.[22] Barack Obama selected the song "Mohabbat" from this album as one of his summer playlist favorites for 2021.[23] "Mohabbat" was called one of the best songs of 2021 by Time and The New York Times.[24][25] Vulture Prince was named the best album of 2021 by Netherlands newspaper de Volkskrant, topping their year-end list.[26] Brenna Ehrlich ranked the album sixth on Rolling Stone's "Best Music of 2021" staff list.[27] It was ranked number twenty by The Guardian on their list of the "50 best albums of 2021", and Laura Snapes named Aftab "[t]he year's biggest musical revelation".[28] While Vulture Prince did not rank on the Los Angeles Times' top ten "Best Albums of 2021", it was, however, included on their "15 deserving albums" list.[29] In late 2021, Aftab signed with Verve Records.[5]

Aftab won a Grammy in 2022 for her song "Mohabbat". In 2023 she became the first Pakistani artist to perform at the Grammys ceremony.[30]

Performances

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Aftab has performed at notable music venues such as the Barbican,[31] the Chan Centre,[32] the Lincoln Center,[33] the Andy Warhol Museum,[34] Haus der Kulturen der Welt,[35] The Kitchen,[36] (Le) Poisson Rouge, and the Museum of Modern Art.[37]

She has also performed at international music festivals such as Coachella,[38] Glastonbury,[39] Primavera Sound Barcelona,[40] Roskilde Festival,[41] Big Ears Festival,[42] The Ecstatic Music Festival,[43] the San Francisco Jazz Festival,[44] Montreal Jazz Festival, Pitchfork Music Festival[45] and the Newport Folk Festival.[46] In 2018 she opened for Mitski at The Brooklyn Steel.[47]

In 2022, Aftab performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts's Temple of Dendur,[48] and at The Broad's 2022 Summer Happenings series.[49]

In May 2024, Aftab was announced as one of the curators for the Dutch music festival Le Guess Who?, set for November 7–10.[50] Aftab's lineup will include performances by herself, her father, Aja Monet, Dina El Wedidi, Meshell Ndegeocello, Noura Mint Seymali, and Zsela.[50]

Musical style and influences

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Aftab's music has been described as a blend of jazz fusion,[22] jazz, electronica,[51] neo-Sufi,[9] folk, Hindustani classical,[20] classical music, indie pop, minimalism,[5] and acoustic music. Aftab told the Los Angeles Times that she had aspired that Vulture Prince would "transcend boundaries".[3]

She has mentioned Abbey Lincoln, Abida Parveen, Anoushka Shankar, Begum Akhtar, Esperanza Spalding, Jeff Buckley, Julius Eastman, Meshell Ndegeocello, Morton Feldman, and Terry Riley as her influences.[5] Aftab also expressed her admiration for Billie Eilish. Lyrically, Aftab has cited Asian poets as influences such as Rumi, Mirza Ghalib, and Hafeez Hoshiarpuri[3] and uses Urdu Ghazal. Her vocals have been described as "meditative".[28] Vulture Prince revolves around themes of grief and longing.[52]

Personal life

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In October 2023, Aftab signed the Artists4Ceasefire open letter to Joe Biden, President of the United States, calling for a ceasefire of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza and for a release of Israeli hostages. [53]

Aftab has a tremendous love for animals. In 2023 she paired with Pakistani animal rights organization, the Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation to raise funds for their continued animal rescue efforts in Karachi.[54]

Aftab raises her voice for gender equality in the music industry. In 2022 she spoke at Global Citizens' Women of Influence panel on The Power of Gender in Shaping Culture alongside Gayle King, Pharrell Williams and Gloria Steinem.[55]

In 2024 Aftab once again joined the Global Citizen action platform dedicated to achieving the end of extreme poverty, performing her song "Diya Hai" from her 2022 album Vulture Prince.[56]

Discography

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Solo albums

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Collaborative albums

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Other works

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  • Music director for the film Without Shepherds by Cary McClelland (2013)[58]
  • Composed and sang on the album The Julius Eastman Memory Depot by Jace Clayton (2013)[59]
  • Sang the title song Insaaf for the film Talvar, written by Gulzar and composed by Vishal Bhardwaj (2015)[60]
  • Sang an old traditional Bandish of Raag Bhairavi Raske Bhare Tore Nain for the film Dobara Phir Se by Mehreen Jabbar (2016)
  • Composed and sang the song De Libbe with Daso for Tale and Tone Records (2017)[61]
  • Featured singer on Climbing Poetree's album Intrinsic (2017)[62]
  • Composer, Sound Designer and Implementer for Tails Noir by Eggnut Games (2021)[63]
  • Sang Mehram with Asfar Hussain for Coke Studio (2022)[64][65]

Personnel

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Current backing members[66]

Awards and nominations

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Awards and nominations for Arooj Aftab
Award Year Category Recipient(s) Status Ref.
News & Documentary Emmy Awards 2018 Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary Armed With Faith Won [11]
Folk Alliance International Best of 2021 Awards 2021 Artist of the Year Herself Nominated [67]
Pride of Performance 2022 Arts (singing) Herself Won [68]
Songlines Music Awards 2022 Fusion Herself Nominated [69]
Edison Jazz Awards 2023 Global Love In Exile (with Vijay Iyer & Shahazad Ismaily) Won [70]
Grammy Awards 2022 Best New Artist Herself Nominated [71]
Best Global Music Performance "Mohabbat" Won
2023 Best Global Music Performance "Udhero Na" with Anoushka Shankar Nominated [72]
2024 Best Global Music Performance "Shadow Forces" (with Vijay Iyer & Shahazad Ismaily) Nominated [73]
Best Alternative Jazz Album Love in Exile (with Vijay Iyer & Shahazad Ismaily) Nominated
2025 Night Reign Pending [74]
Best Global Music Performance "Raat Ki Rani" Pending

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Arooj Aftab Wins Best Global Music Performance for 'Mohabbat' at the 2022 Grammys". Pitchfork.com. April 3, 2022.
  2. ^ "Arooj Aftab receives Pride of Performance Award". Nation.com.pk. August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e Roberts, Randall (December 6, 2021). "'I don't deserve to be other-ized anymore': Arooj Aftab on becoming a surprise Grammy nominee". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Shirazi, Sadia (April 30, 2021). "Forever Changes − Sadia Shirazi on Arooj Aftab". Artforum. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Glickman, Simon (December 21, 2021). "Arooj Aftab: In Heart And Mind". Interview. Hits. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  6. ^ Ashton, Kimberly (July 14, 2021). "Arooj Aftab's 'Mohabbat' Gets Presidential Nod". Berklee College of Music. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Kalia, Ammar (March 25, 2022). "'My music is singular to me': Arooj Aftab, the brightest new star at this year's Grammys". The Guardian. Retrieved July 7, 2023. Informed by Urdu verse, mythological vultures and her brother's death, the US-Pakistani musician's latest album is unexpectedly up for one of the 'big four' prizes... The Pakistani-American singer and composer is speaking from her Brooklyn apartment, six weeks after her third album, Vulture Prince, won her two Grammy nominations.
  8. ^ "The Mix: 100 Composers Under 40". NPR.
  9. ^ a b Rao, Mallika (June 15, 2015). "Here's How You Make 13th Century Islamic Music Sound Fresh". Interview. HuffPost. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  10. ^ Honigmann, David (March 6, 2015). "Arooj Aftab: Bird Under Water − review". Financial Times. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Khan, Zara (October 24, 2021). "Arooj Aftab receives her 2018 News and Documentary Emmy Award". Mashable Pakistan. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  12. ^ "Our Favorite Electronic & Dance Music of 2018". Npr.org. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  13. ^ Tommasini, Anthony; Barone, Joshua; Fonseca-Wollheim, Corinna da; Allen, David; Walls, Seth Colter; Woolfe, Zachary (December 13, 2018). "The 25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2018". The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  14. ^ "The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+". Npr.org. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  15. ^ "Arooj Aftab Signs to Verve Records" (Press release). Universal Music Canada (Umusic). 2021. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  16. ^ Velez, Jennifer (November 19, 2020). "Residente Wins Best Rap/Hip-Hop Song For 'Antes Que El Mundo Se Acabe' - 2020 Latin Grammys". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  17. ^ "47th Student Academy Awards | 2020". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 21, 2020. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022. Narrative: Silver Medal, 'Bittu' by Karishma Dube, New York University
  18. ^ "The 10 Albums We're Most Excited About in April". Paste. March 29, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  19. ^ "Video Premiere: 'Diya Hai' Performed by Arooj Aftab and Badi Assad". I Care If You Listen. April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  20. ^ a b Kappal, Bhanuj (April 27, 2021). "Arooj Aftab − Vulture Prince". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  21. ^ "New Music Friday: The Top 6 Albums Out On April 23 : All Songs Considered". Npr.org. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Pakistan-born 'neo-Sufi' singer breaks free from music traditions". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  23. ^ "Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab makes it to Barack Obama's Summer Playlist". Images.dawn.com. July 12, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  24. ^ Andrew, R. Chow; Raisa, Bruner (May 26, 2021). "The Best Songs of 2021 So Far". Time. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  25. ^ Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon; Russonello, Giovanni (April 23, 2021). "Weezer's Rock 'n' Roll Nostalgia Trip, and 10 More New Songs". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 10, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  26. ^ van Gijssel, Robert; Kerkhof, Merlijn (December 20, 2021). "Dit zijn de 40 beste albums van 2021" [These are the 40 best albums of 2021]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Amsterdam. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  27. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (December 23, 2021). "Best Music of 2021: Staff Picks". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  28. ^ a b Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Snapes, Laura (December 1, 2021). "The 50 best albums of 2021". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  29. ^ Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon; Zoladz, Lindsay (December 2, 2021). "Best Albums of 2021". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  30. ^ Report, Dawn (January 29, 2023). "Arooj first Pakistani slated to perform at Grammys". Dawn.com. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  31. ^ "Arooj Aftab | Barbican". Barbican.org.uk. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  32. ^ "Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab showcases Grammy-winning Vulture Prince at Chan Centre". Vancouversun.com. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  33. ^ "Jesús Carmona & Arooj Aftab". Lincolncenter.org. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  34. ^ "Sound Series: Jace Clayton – The Julius Eastman Memorial Dinner". The Andy Warhol Museum. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  35. ^ Welt, Haus der Kulturen der (May 31, 2017). "Arooj Aftab". Hkw.de. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  36. ^ "The Kitchen: Vijay Iyer: The What of the World". thekitchen.org. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  37. ^ "Summer Thursdays: Arooj Aftab | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  38. ^ "Pakistan's Grammy-winning singer Arooj Aftab serenades crowd at Coachella". Daily Pakistan Global. April 18, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  39. ^ "Glastonbury Festival - West Holts". Glastonburyfestivals.co.uk. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  40. ^ "6 Highlights From Primavera Sound 2022 Saturday, June 11". Ourculturemag.com. June 12, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  41. ^ "AROOJ AFTAB". Roskilde Festival. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  42. ^ "Big Ears Festival - Big Ears Expands 2020 Lineup". Bigearsfestival.org. November 12, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  43. ^ "Ecstatic Music Festival: Thums Up & Arooj Aftab". Tickets.kaufmanmusiccenter.org. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  44. ^ "Vijay Iyer & Thums Up". Sfjazz.org. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  45. ^ "The Best Moments From the 2022 Pitchfork Music Festival". Pitchfork.com. July 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  46. ^ "2024 Newport Folk Rolling Lineup". Newport Folk Festival.
  47. ^ "Mitski, Arooj Aftab @ Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn on 12/03/2018". Ohmyrockness.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  48. ^ Hatfield, Amanda. "Arooj Aftab playing The Met's Temple of Dendur". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  49. ^ Hatfield, Amanda. "Thundercat, Arooj Aftab & more playing The Broad's 2022 Summer Happenings series". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  50. ^ a b Pearis, Bill (May 23, 2024). "Le Guess Who? announces 2024 lineup curated by Darkside, Arooj Aftab, Bo Ningen, and more". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  51. ^ Sultan, Iman (December 20, 2021). "Meet Arooj Aftab, the Grammy-Nominated Artist Who Pioneered Pakistan's DIY Music Movement". W. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  52. ^ Garcia-Navarro, Lulu; Alvarez Boyd, Sophia. "On 'Vulture Prince,' Arooj Aftab Finds New Meaning In Familiar Words". Npr.org. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  53. ^ "Artists4Ceasefire". Artists4Ceasefire. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  54. ^ [1] [dead link‍]
  55. ^ "Gloria Steinem, Pharrell Williams, Gayle King & Arooj Aftab on Gender & Culture | Global Citizen NOW". June 8, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2024 – via YouTube.
  56. ^ "Performance by Arooj Aftab | Global Citizen NOW New York 2024". May 3, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024 – via YouTube.
  57. ^ Monroe, Jazz (April 18, 2024). "Arooj Aftab Announces Album and Tour, Shares Video for New Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  58. ^ "Filmmakers | Without Shepherds". Withoutshepherds.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  59. ^ "Jace Clayton: The Julius Eastman Memory Depot". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  60. ^ "'Insaaf' from Talvar – a superb collaboration by Vishal Bhardwaj and Gulzar". Bollyspice.com. September 6, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  61. ^ "De Libbe from Tale & Tone on Beatport". Beatport.com. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  62. ^ "For the Courageous, by Climbing PoeTree". Climbing PoeTree. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  63. ^ Ashton, Kimberly (July 14, 2021). "Arooj Aftab's 'Mohabbat' Gets Presidential Nod". Interview. Berklee College of Music. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  64. ^ "The breakup song we didn't know we needed: Fans laud Asfar, Arooj's 'Mehram'". The Express Tribune. January 29, 2022. Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  65. ^ "'Hauntingly beautiful': Coke Studio brings together Arooj Aftab and Asfar Hussain in song 'Mehram'". Dawn. January 29, 2022. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  66. ^ Huizenga, Tom (December 8, 2021). "Arooj Aftab: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert". NPR. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  67. ^ Willman, Chris (April 7, 2022). "Allison Russell, Rhiannon Giddens, Arooj Aftab Among Folk Alliance Nominees". Variety.com. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  68. ^ "Arooj Aftab awarded with Pride of Performance award". Daily Times. August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  69. ^ "Songlines Music Awards 2022". Songlines.co.uk. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  70. ^ "2023". Edisons.nl. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  71. ^ "Grammy nominations 2022: Full list of 2022 Grammys Awards nominees". BBC News. November 23, 2021. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  72. ^ "Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab nominated Grammy with 'Udhero Na' once again". Thenews.com.pk. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  73. ^ McNab, Kaitlyn (November 10, 2023). "SZA, Victoria Monét, & Phoebe Bridgers Lead 2024 Grammy Nominations". Teen Vogue. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  74. ^ Gomez Sarmiento, Isabella (November 8, 2024). "2025 Grammy nominations: The complete list". npr.org. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
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